AMERICAS: The IMF agreed to provide a $57 billion bailout to Argentina, bigger than initially planned, in an effort to restore market confidence in the country.

ASIA: China criticized the United States for flying B-52 bombers in the vicinity of the South China Sea, and demanded that the U.S. take steps to improve military relations.

EUROPE: Moscow dismissed a report claiming that one of the suspects in the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal was a highly decorated colonel in Russian military intelligence.

MIDDLE EAST: The Idlib rebels said they have growing confidence that their jihadist rivals will comply with a requirement to leave a demilitarized buffer zone set up by Turkey and Russia to avert a Syrian army offensive.

TECHNOLOGY: Major tech companies and internet service providers told the Senate they support federal legislation to protect data privacy but want Congress to preempt tough new rules adopted by California.

Region: US President Donald Trump turned down a one-on-one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during this week’s UN summit due to trade tensions. (BI)

Argentina: The IMF agreed to provide a $57 billion bailout, bigger than initially planned, in an effort to restore market confidence in the country. (BBC)

Brazil: The highest court ruled that 3.4 million people cannot vote in next month’s national elections because they failed to register their fingerprints with authorities. (AP)

Guatemala: A court in the capital ruled that genocide had been committed during the country’s civil war, but acquitted the former military intelligence chief of the killings. (Reuters)

ASIA

China: Beijing criticized the United States for flying B-52 bombers in the vicinity of the South China Sea, and demanded that the U.S. take steps to improve military relations. (Reuters)

Maldives: The police and military said they will uphold the result of an election in which opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih beat President Abdulla Yameen. (Reuters)

South Korea: President Moon said declaring a formal end to the Korean War will encourage North Korea to move further toward complete denuclearization. (Yonhap)

EUROPE

Region: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan departed for Germany for a visit aimed at reducing tensions between the two NATO allies. (AP)

Italy: The government is struggling to contain a fierce internal battle over fiscal policy, hours before it is due to unveil its 2019 budget targets. (Reuters)

Russia: Moscow dismissed a report claiming that one of the suspects in the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal was a highly decorated colonel in Russian military intelligence. (AFP)

Slovakia: Police arrested multiple suspects in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee, a case that brought down the prior government, officials said. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met on the sidelines of the UN to discuss Gaza and reviving peace talks with the Palestinians, officials said. (AFP)

Egypt: A report has claimed that the military is covertly arming Bedouin tribesmen in the Sinai peninsula to help fight against ISIS militants in the province. (AP)

Syria: The Idlib rebels said they have growing confidence that their jihadist rivals will comply with a requirement to leave a demilitarized buffer zone set up by Turkey and Russia to avert a Syrian army offensive. (Reuters)

Yemen: The government announced it will end its cooperation with a UN human rights mission, accusing investigators of bias after a report on alleged war crimes. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: Major tech companies and internet service providers told the Senate they support federal legislation to protect data privacy but want Congress to preempt tough new rules adopted by California. (Reuters)